Enough?
by Tamecca
Summary: Ghost Hunters Fic - Sunshine and lip-gloss can't last forever, because eventually, night falls.  Steve/Tango - Slash
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own any rights to anything contained within this fic, and I have created it purely for entertainment.

Tango loved to babysit his five-year-old niece, Marissa, because she was extremely fun to hang out with, even though she could definitely keep anyone busy. She was so sweet and well behaved, though, that a little over-activeness was okay. She also loved to go on picnics and play games outside, because she said she lived for the sun; so that was why Tango found himself sitting on a sheet in the middle of Steve's back yard with a tray of snack food sitting beside him.

Marissa was sitting across from him, trying futilely to braid her doll's hair, and steadily asking Tango questions. _Why do you try to hunt down dead people? Isn't that scary? Can you make the ghosts leave? Has one ever hurt you?_ Tango was watching her fumbling with the doll's hair and answering her questions on autopilot, almost a little half-heartedly, when she asked a much different question than the ones before.

"Uncle Dave, why do you live with Steve?"

Tango blushed a little as he answered her. "Because Steve lives closer to the TAPS office…uh work, so I started staying here when we had short breaks. And, …uh…I got tired of moving my stuff back and forth from Grandpa Bruce's house to here, so I moved in all the time with Steve last summer."

"Oh, okay, Uncle Dave."

"Why did you want to know? I thought you said you really like Steve."

"I do like Steve," Marissa said with a big smile on her face. She batted her eyelashes a few times and added, "He's handsome."

Tango laughed. "I'm gonna tell him you said that."

"Well, I don't care," she said, putting on a falsely stern look.

Tango laughed harder.

"Yeah, I do like Steve, but I asked about you living here because I heard Daddy ask Mommy about it yesterday."

Tango stopped laughing abruptly and asked, "What did your Mommy say?"

"That it was not any of Daddy's business."

Tango fidgeted uneasily as she looked at him, unable to think of what to say; but fortunately, Steve walked out the back door with a pitcher of Kool-Aid, which distracted Marissa from staring at Tango.

"Yay, grape, my favorite," Marissa squealed at Steve after noting the color of the liquid in the pitcher.

"Mine too," he answered, sitting down beside Tango.

They ate their snack food lunch then, consisting of chips, popcorn, fruit snacks, crackers, cheese strings, and chocolate chip cookies. Marissa chattered in between the bites she took about school, her friends, and the little boy that always pulled her hair, while Steve and Tango laughed and smiled in the appropriate places.

Of course, after lunch, Marissa was still just as hyped up as she was before eating, and Steve and Tango were feeling the need to take a nap in compensation for the overexertion of the morning and all of the junk they ate for lunch. As Marissa began to skip circles around them, Steve lay back on the sheet, placing his arm over his eyes and sighing loudly.

"Seriously, dude," Tango asked, a little exasperation seeping out in his voice. "You're just gonna bail on me like that?"

Steve grinned. "Well I did make the Kool-Aid."

"Dude." Tango scoffed. "You made the Kool-Aid, really? Like it was a five-course meal."

Marissa laughed and sat down between them. "You two fight like Mommy and Daddy."

Steve burst into laughter at her remark, but Tango was horrified by it, especially after the conversation he had with her earlier. He sat there mouthing words that were refusing to come out for a moment, when finally, he managed to say, "We're not fighting."

Marissa looked at him, frankly, and said, "That's what they say too."

Steve laughed even harder.

"It's so not funny," Tango hissed at Steve, hitting him on the arm with the side of his loosely curled fist.

Marissa, already finished with the conversation, leaned backwards to grab her purple purse lying beside her doll. In true five-year-old fashion, containing far too much enthusiasm, she said, "Look what I have," holding up a tube of lip-gloss. "It's strawberry flavored." She uncapped it and began to apply far too much on her lips. When she finished, she smiled at Tango, and then turned to Steve. "Now, I just need somebody to kiss."

It was Tango's turn to laugh as he realized he hadn't had the chance to tell Steve about Marissa thinking him handsome. Steve didn't laugh though; instead, he tapped his cheek, inviting Marissa to give him the kiss.

She giggled behind her hands for a second, but she leaned down to plant a wet-sounding, smacking kiss on his cheek. She smiled down at Steve for a moment, admiring the faintly pink kiss mark on his cheek, and said, "I think you need one on the other side."

"I think I do too," Steve replied.

Marissa giggled again as she uncapped the lip-gloss once more, but she didn't reapply any to her lips. Instead, she held it out to Tango. "You do it, Uncle Dave."

All of the blood fled Tango's face leaving him as white as the clouds in the sky. "Nnnno…you do it, Marissa…uh, um…it would be weird if I were to…uh, kiss Steve," he said haltingly.

"Please, Uncle Dave? Please? It's not weird! Why would it be weird?" Her voice was growing shriller with every word she spoke. "Please, Uncle Dave?"

Steve couldn't take it anymore, because he hated to see a cute little girl like Marissa disappointed. "How 'bout I do it to Uncle Dave," he asked, hoping it would appease her.

"Okay," she said, reverting to her normal voice. She thrust the lip-gloss at Steve excitedly, instructing him, "Make sure you put on enough."

Steve put on far too much lip-gloss, running it around his lips so haphazardly that some got in his stubble. "Is that enough," he asked as he handed the tube back to Marissa.

"Yes," she answered, giggling a little in delight.

Steve sat up and turned to grab Tango's head to prevent his escape, and leaned toward him with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Dude, come on," Tango said, futilely trying to pull away from Steve.

Steve kissed him on the cheek hard, and when he pulled back, there was a huge pink mark on Tango's cheek that didn't resemble lips at all.

Tango roughly pushed Steve's hands away and used his shirtsleeve to wipe the mess off his face.

"That was a good one, Steve," Marissa shouted. She jumped to her feet and hopped on the spot, because her glee at the kiss was too much to contain while sitting down. "That was a really big kiss."


	2. Chapter 2

That night, after Tango's sister picked up Marissa, Steve and Tango decided that the best way to wind down from their adventurous day was to have a couple of drinks with dinner. Slowly though, as the evening wore on the couple of drinks became a few drinks; and Steve and Tango felt like playing a video game for a while, even though they were both worn out.

A few minutes after dinner, Tango sat down on the couch in preparation to play L. A. Noire, whilst Steve made them another drink. It was taking longer to mix the drinks than he thought it should, so he yelled, "Hey, Steve, you coming or what?" Tango didn't receive an answer immediately, and out of impatience, he yelled again, "Steve!"

As soon as he yelled his name, Steve walked into the living room. "Look what I found, Tango," he said, holding up Marissa's strawberry lip-gloss. He smirked at Tango as an idea crossed his mind. "Heh, heh, heh," he laughed, in a faux manner before allowing a maniacal grin to spread across his face.

"What," Tango inquired hesitantly. "What's with that look?"

"Oh, nothing," Steve said in a singsong voice as he uncapped the lip-gloss. He began to lube his lips up with the gloss, quite liberally, although in a much less messy way than he had earlier. "Hey, Tango, want me to give you another kiss," Steve asked playfully, after finishing the application of lip-gloss.

Tango studied his face for a moment before asking, "Um, do I have a choice?" He knew there was no chance of stopping Steve once he had an idea stuck in his head, and the idea of kissing was most assuredly stuck in his head at that moment.

"There's always a choice, Tango," Steve answered, coyly.

"Um…well…I…uh…nnnnno, then," Tango stammered.

"You don't sound too sure of that answer…Dave." With an odd glint in his eye, Steve stalked toward the couch.

Tango shot off the couch like a rocket, but still only managed to round the couch just before Steve reached the front of it. The look on Steve's face as he came toward the couch had unnerved Tango, because it was full of determination and far beyond intense. Tango guessed that Steve might have worn that exact look a time or two while on duty, when he was a cop.

"Why so jumpy…Dave," Steve asked with a mischievous look that wiped the intensity from his face.

"Oh, um…no reason," Tango replied.

Steve started around the couch, and Tango countered by moving in the opposite direction. Tango didn't know what would happen if the couch was no longer a barrier between them, but he was sure he would find out soon.

"Come on, Tango. One little kiss. What can it hurt?" Steve quirked his eyebrows at him, trying to relieve some of the panic he saw plainly etched in Tango's face.

"Nothing," Tango said. "Or everything," he added so softly that Steve barely heard the words.

"Could it be, Tango, that you want me to kiss you as much as I want to do it," Steve questioned softly. An intense look was back on his face, but this time, it didn't have any sort of menacing factor to it. For Steve, playtime was over.

"Are you messing with me, Steve? Or, are you serious," Tango nearly shouted as aggravation began to flood his system.

Steve bit his bottom lip for a split second before replying, "Oh, I'm messing with you, but I'm very serious, Dave. So, what's it going to be? A kiss?" Steve turned to look at the TV. "Or, L. A. Noire?"

Tango stood there breathing a bit heavily, unable to make himself answer Steve. He kept staring fixedly at the TV, occasionally stealing glances at Steve's face, willing himself to answer the question, to go to his room, or to do anything but stand there. Finally, after the silence seemed to be crushing him, Tango decided the only thing he could do was turn tail and make a mad dash for his room.

Steve though, was right behind him, and as he reached the door, Steve caught his wrist and whipped him around. Placing his hands on the door to trap Tango between his arms, Steve gave him a look that meant, if he didn't want this to happen, he better stop it immediately. But, Tango stayed as he was, tense as a bowstring and waiting for Steve's kiss.

Steve stared into Tango's eyes for a moment, as though he were trying to find a hint of doubt within Tango. "Tango…Dave," Steve whispered, closing the distance between them by another inch or so.

He was so close to Tango then that the strawberry smell of the lip-gloss was all Tango could think about. Slowly, Steve closed the rest of the distance between them and softly placed a peck on Tango's cheek, allowing the corners of their lips to touch lightly.

Steve leaned back just a bit from Tango and asked, "Do you want more?"

"Steve," Tango said questioningly. He wasn't sure what Steve intended by the encounter or how far he wanted it to go, and being unsure of how he felt made Tango extremely nervous.

Steve leaned in again to capture Tango's lips then, but Tango put a restraining hand on his chest. He still needed time to think about things before letting it go further.

"I don't know, Steve," he mumbled.

"I do, Dave, I do," Steve replied, leaning toward him again.

Their lips met in a soft and sensual kiss that Steve only allowed to linger for a short moment. He knew that he couldn't push Tango, or else he would lose out, because he felt apprehension in the hand on his chest, which he knew Tango kept there in an attempt to retain some sort of control over what was happening.

As Tango's eyes met Steve's, he darted his tongue between his lips to taste the lip-gloss there. He didn't intend it to mean anything, but Steve's small, sharp intake of breath let Tango know that the appearance of his tongue had quite an effect. He stared more fixedly at Steve's face then, and darted his tongue back out for another taste of strawberry, this time being rewarded with a hitch in Steve's breathing. Without meaning to, Tango let a small chuckle escape him.

"Tease," Steve said with a grin.

This time the kiss was not innocent, soft, nor sensual. Instead, it was harsh and a bit frenzied, and when Steve slipped his tongue between Tango's lips, a moan escaped from him. The kiss lasted for several minutes, during which Steve tried his best to pull Tango's body as close to his as he could get it. Eventually though, Tango ended the kiss by pushing Steve's body away from him. His cheeks were flushed, his breathing ragged, and his hand on Steve's chest was trembling, but a slight smile sat firmly on his lips.

Steve smiled back at Tango and began to pull him back for another kiss, but before he got more than an inch closer, Tango's hand began to slide down his chest at an excruciatingly slow pace. A trail of heat followed Tango's hand down his chest, and the heat intensified the closer it loomed toward his belt. A groan escaped Steve's lips as Tango's fingers ran over his belly button, and he again began pulling him closer, insistently.

"I…uh, I…enough," Tango said as he pulled his hand off Steve and began to fumble with the doorknob behind him. He flung the door open, looking directly into Steve's eyes again, before he escaped into the lonely sanctuary of his room.


	3. Chapter 3

Tango opened the door while desperately trying not to drop the take-out boxes he had balanced in his right hand. He stepped into the door as he began to pull the key out of the lock. The lock, though, wasn't in the best shape and frequently tried to eat keys, which always caused a lot of frustration and problems. When the key didn't come out of the lock the first time, Tango tried to snatch it out again, only to almost drop the take-out boxes. "Damn, this fucking doorknob! Steve," he yelled, abandoning the key and trying to steady the boxes.

"Yeah, what's up," Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen.

"Will you get my key out of the lock?"

"Aw, did it eat your key again, Tango," Steve said in a mocking baby voice.

Tango gave Steve a withering look as he walked past him and into the kitchen. "You just need to change that lock like you keep saying you're going to."

"It never gives me any trouble," Steve countered as he pulled on the key. The key didn't immediately come out, and Steve had to finagle it for a moment while cursing, before it finally slid out.

He walked back into the kitchen and thrust the key at Tango. "I'll change that shit tomorrow," he told him as he finished pouring liquor into a glass.

Tango leaned on the counter smirking at Steve. "But, why? It never gives you any trouble."

"Shut up," he said, holding out a glass to Tango before adding, "Let's eat."

Tango nodded as he took a sip of his drink and grabbed the take-out boxes. "Let's eat on the deck. It's pretty nice out."

"Sure," Steve replied, grabbing the top box. "What'd you get anyhow?" Once outside, he sat the box down on the deck's table and turned to look at Tango, sipping his drink.

"A steak like yours," he answered as he sat down in a chair.

Steve looked at him questioningly before taking another sip of his drink. "Oh, not that bacon cheeseburger thing you always get? Hmmm, had to get you a nice piece of meat tonight?"

Tango slammed his glass down on the table angrily, and then slid it away from himself as he stared at Steve. "Is that what the drinks are for? You want a repeat of last Saturday night," he asked as angrily as he had slammed the glass down.

"No," Steve answered, sitting down in his chair, "I don't need rejection again. It hurt enough the first time."

"I wasn't rejecting you, Steve. I…just…I don't know." Tango grabbed his glass, keeping his eyes locked firmly on it, and pulled it back toward him. "I just got a little…freaked out." He picked up his drink and took a huge gulp of it. "I want it…you…but it was just…too fast."

"Yeah, I forget sometimes how the first time can be kind of like that."

Tango's eyes shot to Steve's. "You've done this before?"

Steve shrugged. "A time or two. Now, seriously, let's eat. This shit will be cold as hell, if we don't."

They ate then, talking about anything and everything except for what might be going on between them, which was exactly how the past week had progressed. Steve had gotten them drink refills five times, and he worried with each one that the night would end up being like their last Saturday. He wanted a bit more action with Tango, and the drunker he became, the more insistent he knew he would be.

When they finally finished eating, Tango took all of the trash into the kitchen, before returning to the deck with a pack of cards. "Wanna play a few games, man?"

"Okay, what do you want to play?"

Tango shrugged to let Steve know he was open to other suggestions, and said, "Rummy, gin, poker."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Strip poker," he said, giving Tango a wink.

"Seriously? Stop it, Steve."

"Or, we could forget the cards and play spin the bottle."

"You are such a child sometimes," Tango told him, crossly.

Steve bit his lip, raising his eyebrows at Tango. "I know, Dave. Let's play Are You Nervous."

"What the hell is that?" Tango shook his head, as though denying that Steve could be such an ass. "I'm just going to go play a video game."

As Tango started to get up from his chair, Steve picked up his chair without fully getting up out of it, and moved it about a foot closer to Tango's. "Are you nervous, Tango?"

He looked at Steve, still trying to be irritated with him, but the dopey look Steve was giving him made him laugh. He shook his head again, this time as though to clear it, or maybe to straighten out his thoughts, and told Steve, "No, I'm not nervous."

Steve moved his chair another foot closer in the same manner as before. "Are you nervous," he asked again, looking at Tango.

Tango shrugged and stared at Steve, clearly sending the message that he was not.

Steve stood all of the way up and moved his chair directly beside Tango's. "Are you nervous, Dave," he asked, yet again.

"I'm starting to be."

Steve chuckled before placing his hand on Tango's knee, which he caressed lightly. "Are you -?"

"Stop it," Tango said firmly, cutting Steve off. "I know you're trying to work your way into kissing me. We don't need stupid games for that." He grabbed Steve's hand and slid it high up on his thigh, but not as high as Steve would have liked. "So, now I'm nervous. Kiss me."

Steve smiled at him. "Let's take it inside. It's starting to get a little cold out here."

They both got up from the table and started toward the door, and as they walked into the house, Tango asked, "Hey, how 'bout another drink?"

"Yeah, but you make them this time," Steve answered. He went into the living room to sit on the couch, intending to wait patiently on Tango to follow with the drinks. After a moment or two though, he yelled, "What's taking you so long, Tango?"

"I'm coming," Tango yelled back. A few seconds later, he walked into the living room carrying both refilled drinks. He plunked down the glasses on the coffee table, nearly making the liquid slosh over the side, and then turned to Steve.

Steve looked up at Tango, raising his eyebrows in inquiry about his behavior, but when Tango didn't say anything, he asked, "What?"

Tango still did not say a word; instead, he opted to answer with his body. He nervously and ineptly got into Steve's lap, straddling his legs awkwardly. He took Steve's hat off and tossed it onto the recliner near-by, before he began to run his hands through Steve's hair.

Steve stopped him after a couple of strokes through his hair. "It I wanted this, I could go to a strip club." He pushed Tango backwards gently, telling him to get off his lap.

Tango, not to be deterred, went down on his knees in front of him.

"And, if I wanted that, I could get a hooker."

Tango blushed and began to stammer, "I…I wasn't…Steve…I wasn't going to..."

Steve pulled Tango up beside him on the couch, so close their legs were touching. "So…does that mean you weren't going to do that now or…not ever," he asked, playfully.

"Steve! You saying things like that is what makes me nervous," Tango admonished.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Why don't you just hand me that controller over there then," Steve said, looking at Tango a bit wistfully.

Tango stretched to get the controller, but before his hand was within range of it, he changed his mind. Turning back to Steve, he said, "I don't want to stop altogether, Steve." He kissed Steve then, a bit harshly, and returned his hands to his hair.

Steve's arms encircled Tango, as though they were automatically programed to do so, and he kissed him back enthusiastically. It only took a few moments for their kisses to become further impassioned than they had ever been, so Steve, worried about things getting out of hand beyond what Tango was ready for, began to try to slow them back down. "Easy, Dave," he whispered.

Tango immediately retracted himself from Steve, and slid up on the couch until he was teetering on the edge. "Yeah, man, yeah. You're right," Tango said, sounding a little embarrassed. He stared at the coffee table for a few seconds before adding, "Fuck it!" He grabbed his drink and downed it in one gulp, then after putting his glass back, he did the same with Steve's.

"Tango," Steve asked apprehensively.

Tango spun back around on the couch, almost falling off, and grabbed ahold of Steve again, kissing him furiously. He only kissed his mouth for the briefest moment before moving down to Steve's neck, while his hands began to fumble with Steve's buttoned shirt. Tango quickly became frustrated with the stubborn buttons, and refusing to quit kissing Steve's neck in order to look at what he was trying to do, he grabbed the lapels of the shirt and ripped it open. The buttons flew all about the room, but Tango didn't even notice as he pulled up Steve's t-shirt and began to caress his chest.

Steve grabbed Tango's hands then, trying desperately to wrestle Tango off him. "Dave," he said, getting absolutely no acknowledgment, "Dave." He kept trying to pull Tango's hands out of his shirt, as he yelled, "Dave!"

Finally, Tango stopped enough to pay attention to Steve, although he still had his hands on Steve's chest and his mouth resting on Steve's neck. Slowly, even almost tenderly, Steve maneuvered Tango a few inches away from him on the couch. He gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips and sighed, which puzzled Tango.

"What is it, Steve?"

Steve shook his head, with a somewhat sad look on his face. "First you're cold, which I get, and then you get hot. That's awesome, until you get cold again. But, then…then you get hotter than ever before. I think it might be a good idea for us to stop this now and continue when we are both sober."

Tango deflated at Steve's words, and he blew the air out of his lungs noisily. "I don't want to stop. I haven't had enough yet," Tango responded with a slight slur to his speech.

Steve winced at the smell of liquor radiating off Tango's breath, knowing he had far too much to drink that night, especially with what was going on between them. He swallowed hard before telling Tango, "Uh…yes, you have, Dave. You've had plenty, I think. We need to call it a night."


	4. Chapter 4

Steve walked out of his bedroom, donning only his pajama pants, and headed toward the kitchen, desperately needing caffeine. He saw Tango pouring orange juice into a glass on the counter, so as he walked into the kitchen, he said, "You know, I really liked that shirt you tore up last night."

As Steve opened the fridge to grab a soda, Grant's disembodied voice came through the speakerphone of Tango's cellphone. "What shirt, Steve?"

Tango, having spun around to stare at Steve with a look of horror and anger on his face, began to gesture wildly at Steve with his hands. Steve put his hands out with his palms up, clearly telling Tango, _What? I didn't know. What do you want me to do about it?_

After a couple of minutes of silent conversation, Grant's voice came out of the speakerphone again. "Now, that's a pregnant pause," he said with a small laugh.

"Oh, sorry," Steve answered, trying his best to sound nonchalant. "I was showing him the damage he did."

Tango lightly backhanded Steve on the arm, and when Steve looked at him, he widened his eyes, clearly asking why Steve was still talking about it.

"And, what exactly happened to this shirt," Grant asked.

Tango shook his head at Steve vigorously.

"We had a few drinks last night, too many, in fact," Steve said slowly, "and Tango got too close to the stairs on the deck." He closed his eyes for a second, as though he were imagining the false story, and finished, "He almost fell down the stairs and grabbed my shirt to steady himself."

Grant made a noise that was a mix between _tsk_ing and choking. "If you ripped his shirt like that, then you must have been seriously about to fall hard."

"Yeah," Tango said a bit enthusiastically, due to his relief from Steve's good cover story. He tried to sound a little more somber as he added, "I would have totally broken an arm or a leg, if I had fallen."

"Or, your damn neck. You might want to watch out how much you drink, both of you. Jason and I don't want to stage an intervention, but we will."

Tango winced at the admonition.

"Oh, come on, like it was heroin," Steve said with a laugh. "Besides, we don't drink that often, and we don't usually drink that much, when we do."

"Yeah, okay," Grant said in a skeptical voice. "Well, I guess I'll talk to you guys later, or I'll just see you."

Steve and Tango said their good-byes to Grant, and as soon as Tango hit 'end', Steve pulled Tango toward him. "What did he call for," Steve whispered into Tango's ear.

"To tell us the homeowner had to reschedule, so we don't have to leave out until Thursday for the next case."

"That's awesome," Steve said, leaning back from Tango a little in order to be able to look into his eyes. "I won't mind a little more alone time."

"Yeah," Tango said with a tremulous hint to his voice. "It will be nice."

Steven kissed him lightly on the lips, and then gave him a bit more insistent kiss. "Sorry, I didn't mean to almost get us busted, but I didn't know you had him on the phone. Especially not speakerphone, at that."

"It's cool. You had a good story for it, and I think he bought it. We are going to have to watch how much we drink and talk about drinking around him for a little while, though."

Steve laughed and said, "I know." He smiled at Tango, and then leaned in to give him another kiss, but Tango turned his head to evade his lips. "What," Steve asked, sounding a little hurt, as though he knew the answer to his question already.

"I don't know…I just..." Tango looked into Steve's eyes as he let his voice trail off. He took a deep breath and tried to express his thoughts again. "It just feels different. I don't know why, but I think I need a minute to think about this…us."

Steve withdrew himself from Tango, and then as though the distance between them wasn't satisfying enough, he took a step back. He popped open his soda and took a drink from the can, while he looked at Tango. "Don't worry about it, Dave. I get it. You just want us to be a drunken, dirty little secret." Steve walked out of the kitchen, heading back down the hall toward his bedroom.

"Steve," Tango called, hoping that Steve would turn around. "I didn't mean that at all."

"I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll go get that doorknob to replace the one in the front door. You and I have had enough bullshit from that damn lock."

At Steve's words, Tango jogged down the hallway so that he could catch up with Steve. "Wait, Steve," he said, putting his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve pushed Tango's hand off his shoulder and opened the door to his room, silently staring into Tango's eyes.

"Steve."

"I said don't worry about it, Dave," Steve replied as he shut his bedroom door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Tango turned away from the bedroom door hesitantly, not knowing if he wanted to follow Steve or just wait for him to get out of the shower. Finally, he went into the living room and sat on the couch, tucking his hands under his legs, and trying his best to wait patiently. Steve never took very long in the shower, but even though Tango used the time to ponder what he really felt, it seemed to take hours for Steve to reemerge from his bedroom.

Just as Tango decided he couldn't wait anymore, Steve walked out of the hall. Tango hopped up off the couch, but Steve motioned for him to sit back down. He laid his shirt, which he hadn't put on yet, on the back of the couch, and came around to sit down beside Tango.

"Steve, I've been really thinking about this…what's been going on between us. I enjoyed what we've done, but…I…I really need to take it slow, man. I've never done anything like this, or even thought about it before. I know you know what you're doing, but can't you just…" Tango shrugged, trying to find the right words to finish. He sighed and asked, "Can't you just maybe pretend like you haven't done this before too?"

"I know, Dave. I was coming to apologize to you for walking off." Steve looked at Tango for a moment, then continued, "I…I can't pretend this is all new to me, because that's pointless, but I'll try to keep in mind that it is for you." He put his arm around Tango's shoulders, but trying to be true to what he just said, he didn't pull Tango closer.

Tango leaned into him though, automatically, as though he was waiting for Steve's touch. He looked into Steve's eyes for a split second and then kissed him. It was a whisper of a kiss, with just their mouths barely brushing, but it made Steve exhale loudly. He pulled Tango a little closer to him and reciprocated the kiss, intending it to be just as innocent as Tango's. It wasn't though, because Tango deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into Steve's mouth after only a few seconds. Without thinking, Tango began to caress Steve's bare chest and kiss him more harshly.

"You don't want to go slow, you just wanted to start over, I think, Tango," Steve said after pulling back from Tango just a little bit.

Tango laughed nervously, but used the small amount of space between them to lean down and kiss Steve's neck.

A small moan escaped Steve's lips as he opened them to say, "You know, Dave, I hardly think it's fair that I'm the only one shirtless."

With a ghost of a smile, Tango replied, "No, it's not exactly fair, is it?" He slowly pulled his shirt over his head, and once it was off, he leaned in to kiss Steve again. Steve put a restraining hand on his chest though, not allowing Tango to get too close. He smirked at Tango for a brief second, and then began to place small kisses on his chest. Releasing a pent up breath he didn't know he was holding, Tango plunged his hand into Steve's hair. A moment later, he was unsure whether he wanted to pull Steve closer or use his hair to pull him away, but despite his indecision, he couldn't stop himself from whispering Steve's name.

"Oh, you like that, do you," Steve asked in between kisses. He began to let his hand slide slowly down Tango's chest then, followed closely by kisses. Steve didn't miss a single spot in his trail down Tango's chest, and the kisses seemed to be having quite an effect on Tango the lower he moved.

Eventually though, as Steve placed a kiss just above Tango's happy trail, Tango became tense and stopped him. He gently pulled Steve off him, not wanting to upset him, and leaned his head backwards onto the couch. "Steve," he gasped, "too much."

"Dude, you're a snail, a fucking snail! I could get farther with a prudish old lady, than I can with you," Steve said, extremely frustrated.

"Steve," Tango said, nearly whining. "Let's just keep it above the nipples, okay?"

Steve tried not to laugh, since he was aggravated, but he failed. "Seriously, man? Above the nipples? The phrase is 'below the belt', as in 'don't go below the belt'."

"I know what the phrase is, Steve," Tango shouted. "Just…just stop. We start kissing and you just have to mold yourself to me or try to get straight into my pants," Tango said, nearly hissing in anger.

"Oh, okay, so it's not the alcohol that makes you hot, then cold…HOT…then cold. I seriously can't take this shit." Steve leapt off the couch and headed toward his room. "I'm going to the fucking store to get that doorknob," he growled.

Tango heard him shut his bedroom door forcefully, and then open it back up immediately. He turned his head to look at the hall as Steve walked back into the living room, and in a much less angry voice than he last used, said, "Steve."

Steve grabbed his shirt off the back of the couch and jerkily forced it onto his body, and then he walked over to the recliner to snatch up his hat and put it on. "I'm going to the store, Tango," he said in a tone that meant there wouldn't be any arguing.

Tango shot off the couch and gave chase, when Steve started walking toward the door; and he grabbed Steve, forcing him against the wall beside the front door. He kissed Steve harshly, crushing him into the wall.

He knew that he needed to go to the store, so that the tension between them could have some time to diffuse; but he couldn't resist how it felt to have Tango all over him. As Tango's kisses moved down to his neck, Steve leaned his head onto the wall behind him. Even though he wasn't exactly going to let Tango know how much he enjoyed his forcefulness, he couldn't help but to let his eyes nearly close in ecstasy.

He stayed in his relaxed position for only a moment though, before he heard a soft meow from down the hallway. He turned his head a little and opened his eyes to see that he hadn't closed his bedroom door all the way, and Sassy Lashes was heading directly toward them. He grabbed Tango by his upper arms, trying futilely to push him backwards, but Tango wouldn't budge.

Tango latched onto Steve more firmly, when Steve began to try pushing him away, but he stopped kissing him to say, "I want you, man, I do. I want us to be together. You and I have a completely different definition of taking it slow, but that's not going to ruin us. I'll go as fast as I must to keep everything okay between us."

"I know, Dave. Stop for right now, though. You have to stop."

"You don't like it when I say stop, so don't even think I'm going to stop when you say to." Tango locked his lips onto Steve's again, kissing him furiously, as he slid his hands down Steve's chest. He grabbed Steve's belt and began to undo it rapidly, but just before he could pull the belt out of the buckle, Sassy Lashes landed on his back.

She hissed and spit devilishly, as she sank her left forepaw's claws all the way into Tango's shoulder. As she continued to hiss maniacally, she used her other three unanchored paws to scratch every bit of Tango's bare back.

"No, Sassy Lashes," Steve shouted, trying to get hold of the enraged cat.

Tango was screeching so loud he drowned out Sassy Lashes's furious noises, bucking and spinning around crazily, while he tried to grab Sassy Lashes from over his shoulder. "Steve! Owwwwwww! Steve," he screamed.

Finally, Steve was able to get Tango to stop moving and get an arm around Sassy Lashes; and since he knew there couldn't be too much more damage done to Tango's back, he ripped her off Tango. Tango shrieked as her claws tore a little more of his flesh, but Steve didn't falter as he went down the hall and put Sassy Lashes securely in his bedroom.

He walked back to Tango and surveyed the damage. "She got you good, man. Come on, let me clean you up."

Even though there were tears of pain in Tango's eyes, he pulled Steve into his embrace and kissed him. "I haven't finished proving I'll do whatever it takes, Steve."

Steve grabbed Tango's arm and dragged him toward the hall bathroom. "You don't have to prove anything to me, Dave. I see enough in your eyes to know you're serious."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Tango. What're you doing," Steve asked, leaning on the doorframe of the laundry room.

Tango finished stuffing a sheet into the washing machine, and then stood up to face Steve. "I'm washing my sheets. I bled through one of the bandages last night."

"Let me see," Steve said, motioning for Tango to turn around. He gingerly lifted Tango's shirt, which had a blood spot on it too. Once he got the shirt up around Tango's neck, he unceremoniously pulled it off his head and threw it into the washer.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Tango said as he shrugged, which caused him to wince.

Steve put laundry detergent into the washing machine, made sure it was on the right settings, and turned it on. He faced Tango again and surveyed the bandages. The only one that appeared to be soaked through was the one over the spot where Sassy Lashes had latched onto Tango. "It's just the one, but let me change all of them." He gently brushed past Tango, grabbed his hand, and led him to the hall bathroom.

Once inside, Tango sat down backwards on the closed toilet lid – exactly as he had twice the day before – and tried to steel himself for what was coming. Steve worked fast, and to Tango's relief, almost painlessly for a few minutes at replacing the bandages. When he seemed completely finished, Tango asked, "They still look as bad as yesterday?"

"Just that one, as I figured. The others seem to be pretty minor, but there's a damn lot of them." He stared at the back of Tango's neck for a moment, and hoping that he wasn't about to start another fiasco, rubbed his hand across Tango's skin, well above any of the scratches.

"Steve," Tango whispered in response to his touch. Steve slowly withdrew his hand, a mixture of anger and disappointment flooding his system; but before his hand completely broke contact, Tango grabbed it and placed it back on his neck. "That didn't mean to stop. I'm so done with being stupidly hesitant."

Steve began to lightly stroke Tango's neck and asked, "Really, Dave? You're definitely sure? I don't think I can stop midway again, you know. It just hurts too much."

Tango glanced over his shoulder at Steve, letting a wicked grin form on his lips, before he stood up and pulled Steve closer to him. Sensually, he whispered into his ear, "I'm very, very sure, Steve." He captured Steve's mouth in a kiss then, which he quickly turned more passionate than either of them had ever dared; and within seconds, both of them were groaning with pleasure.

Steve's hand found the back of Tango's neck once more, and as though prompted by the contact, Tango ran his hands up Steve's stomach, pulling his shirt up with his fingers. When he got Steve's shirt up to his shoulders, Steve helped him to get the interfering garment out of their way, which allowed Tango to begin placing small kisses along his neck and shoulders.

Steve ran his hand up over Tango's hair as he moved to the center of Steve's chest, teasing him with small nips of his teeth occasionally. Steve began to move them toward the door, because he knew that the close quarters of the bathroom would soon be a hindrance for them. Tango, noticing the direction Steve was moving them, pushed Steve gently but firmly into the hall, and then even further until he was pressed against the wall.

Tango continued to kiss Steve's chest, but he began to run his hands down Steve's stomach, slowly, whilst allowing his nails to lightly scratch Steve's skin. Steve's breathing was becoming more rapid and shallow as Tango's hands descended lower, and when they reached the top of his pajama pants, he gasped. Tango let a small chuckle escape him as he moved his hands down to Steve's legs, where he began to run them up and down his thighs.

Steve shuddered involuntarily and tried to move his body to make Tango's hands go where he wanted them to, but Tango made sure that he moved with Steve, giving another small chuckle. "Ahhhhh, Dave…I…I really think…think we should…ahhh…take this to…to…to…" Steve let his voice taper off, as though he wasn't able to complete his thought.

"To the bedroom, Steve," Tango asked after kissing his lips again.

"Yes," Steve hissed.

Tango pushed open the door to his room, and they stumbled in through the door; but before they made it completely into the room, the doorbell rang.

"Son of a bitch," Steve yelled. He looked at Tango wistfully for a moment and then stepped back into the hall to look in the direction of the front door. "You go answer it. I need a minute to settle myself down before I talk to anybody."

Tango glanced down, a smile beginning to spread on his face, and said, "Sure." He headed for the front door, and Steve sighed as he leaned against the wall beside the bedroom door. Tango spared him a glance before he tuned out of the hallway. "I hope this doesn't take long," he said, smiling at Steve.

Steve smiled back. "Me too," he agreed.

When Tango opened the front door, he thought for a second about his attire of pajama pants without a shirt, but he figured that anyone knocking on the door in the morning really could expect much else. What he was wearing completely left his thoughts though, when he saw Jason standing on the doorstep. "Whoa, hey," he said trying his best not to look guilty, since what he had just been doing ran across his thoughts.

"Hey, Tango. Good morning," Jason said in greeting.

Tango didn't want to make Jason feel like his presence was unwanted, but before he could stop himself, he asked bluntly, "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by on my way through to make sure you and Steve got the word that we aren't leaving until Thursday."

"Oh, yeah," Tango replied, "Grant called yesterday." He looked at Jason for a moment, because he was staring at him silently, and asked in order to break the silence, "Where are you heading to?"

"Me and the family are going over to my brother's house for the day," he answered, still staring at Tango. "Where's Steve?"

"Getting dressed, I think," Tango said a little loudly, hoping Steve heard him and would play along appropriately. As he saw a smile forming on Jason's face, he knew that he had made it obvious they were hiding something. Tango looked down at his feet for a second, trying to regroup himself, which wasn't a good idea because it exposed the top of the bandages on his back to Jason.

"What the hell happened," Jason asked in a commanding 'I'm the boss' voice.

Tango looked up at him sheepishly. "Sassy Lashes attacked me yesterday."

Steve walked out of the hallway then, wearing jeans and pulling a t-shirt over his head. "Hey, Jay," he said, far more casually than Tango ever thought he could manage in a situation like the one they were in.

_He's had experience with keeping things under wraps_, Tango thought. He looked back at Jason, hoping that the expression he put on his face was as guiltless as Steve's voice.

"Hey, Steve," Jason said, still eyeing Tango. "Did Sassy Lashes attack Tango for the same reason she attacked Dustin a couple of years ago?"

Steve sucked air into his lungs a bit noisily before answering, "Yeah, she did."

Jason laughed. "Oh, damn," he muttered.

Tango whirled around to face Steve. "Dustin," he asked accusingly.

"Well, that's my cue to leave." Jason grabbed the doorknob and began pulling the door closed. He stopped with the door halfway shut though, and added, "You know, Steve, you should really put your cat up before you play with boys."

Steve laughed, and Jason joined in before he finished closing the door. "What," Steve asked Tango, when he noticed he was still being stared at.

"Did she attack Dustin for a different reason and you lied to cover us up, or did you two –" Tango's voice trailed off before he could finish the question.

"I wasn't lying," Steve replied, reaching out to rub his hand up and down Tango's forearm.

Tango stared silently at the floor for a moment before saying, "Oh." He looked up and into Steve's eyes. "I never even knew about the two of you. What happened?"

Steve shrugged and bit his lip. "When you joined the team, I started to lose my already tenuous interest in him. After spending just a little bit of time with you, I realized that he wasn't ever going to be enough."

Without further hesitation, Tango grabbed hold of Steve's hand and began pulling him down the hallway. "At least we weren't interrupted for too long," he said, giving Steve a wink over his shoulder.


End file.
